Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The marchers came to the old man in the wheelchair, some to tell him he was forgiven, some to whisper that he could never be forgiven, not now, not a million years from now.Yet to all of the people who retraced the steps of the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march 30 years ago, George C. Wallace offered an apology for a doomed ideal.The former Alabama governor, whose name became shorthand for much of the worst of white Southern opposition to the civil rights movement, held hands with men and women he had once held down with the power of his office.

The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department will hold its second annual EMS Open House on Saturday, May 18 from noon to 3 p.m. at the fire station, 7411 Cherry Lane. Activities include meeting Laurel's licensed emergency medical technicians, blood pressure screening and learning about injury prevention. Visitors can also take an ambulance tour. The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department was formed four years after an 1898 fire on Main Street destroyed 12 buildings, including the Presbyterian Church.

On April 29, 2004, ROBERT "Corky" MONTGOMERY; beloved husband of Doris Montgomery; dear brother of Dorothy Langford, John Montgomery and Leona Harden. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Friends are invited to call at the Burgee-Henss-Seitz Funeral Home, Inc., 3631 Falls Road, on Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Services on Monday at 10 A.M. Interment in Lake View Memorial Park.

Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman is asking law enforcement professionals from other jurisdictions to examine the county's troubled police department. Since she took over in February from disgraced former executive John R. Leopold, Neuman said Friday, her office has received a steady stream of anonymous notes alleging problems in the agency. Leopold was convicted of criminal misconduct in office for directing his police protection detail to perform political and personal tasks.

On March 9, 2006, EMANUELMONTGOMERY; beloved husband of Vondell Scott Montgomery; loving father of Julia, Emanuel and Vera; he is survived by two brothers, one sister, and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at the family owned Howell Funeral Home, 4600 Liberty Heights Avenue, on Monday from 3 to 7 P.M. Family will receive friends Tuesday at the Koinonia Baptist Church, 105 N. Broadway. Family hour 7 to 7:30. Services to follow. Interment Wednesday, King Memorial Park.

Some voters in Montgomery and Prince George's counties have received absentee ballots that are missing a page containing referendum questions, state officials said Wednesday. The state Board of Elections has found that fewer than 20 absentee voters received ballots missing a second page, Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement. "Residents who have requested an absentee ballot should check to make certain they have a complete ballot with a second page that includes Questions 4-7, as well as any of the local county-related questions," O'Malley said.

JAMES VERNON MONTGOMERY, III, 48, of Havre de Grace, MD, passed away December 1, 2008 son of the late James V. Montgomery, Jr. and the late Ruth (Peterson) Montgomery; loving father of Meghan Roberts and James V. Montgomery IV; grandfather of Madelyn R. Roberts, all of Elkton, MD. Services will be held Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. at Crouch Funeral Home, 127 S. Main Street, North East, MD. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. For condolences, visit www.crouchfuneralhome.com. 410-287-6166.

On September 27, 2005, ARTHUR C., JR.; beloved husband of Wilma J. Montgomery; devoted father of Felicia Montgomery and Arthur Montgomery, III. He is also survived by a niece, Robin Conaway; father-in-law, William E. Mills and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at the Gary P. March Funeral Home, 270 Fred Hilton Pass, on Sunday from 12 to 7 P.M. Family will receive friends on Monday from 11:30 to 12 noon. Funeral Services to follow. Interment King Memorial Park.

A man who police said was acting erratically died Friday night in Gaithersburg after he refused officers' orders and was struck with a Taser. Police were called to the 8800 block of Cross County Pl. at about 6:10 p.m. for a report of a 51-year-old man "acting strangely" - standing in a parked pickup truck, yelling, and crawling on other vehicles. Officers who arrived on the scene said he jumped onto an SUV and continued to act strangely, and the officer hit him with pepper spray, police said.

A compromise in the General Assembly over legislation to undo a court ruling that declared pit bulls inherently dangerous has unraveled, turning what had appeared to be a settled issue into a dogfight between two veteran legislators. The breakdown in the understanding between Sen. Brian E. Frosh and Del Luiz R.S. Simmons — both Montgomery County Democrats — raises the chances that owners of the breed will continue to face heightened liability and the possibility of eviction. "I am extremely disappointed in Brian Frosh," said Simmons.

Lawyers for the man convicted of killing Phylicia Barnes are again seeking to undermine the credibility of a small-time criminal who provided key state testimony in his trial, citing a letter from Montgomery County prosecutors detailing James McCray's removal as a witness in a separate murder case. The information, sent to Baltimore prosecutors on the day after Michael Maurice Johnson was found guilty of killing the visiting North Carolina teen, contains statements that the defense says shows McCray — whom they described at trial as a "jailhouse snitch" — is not reliable.

COLLEGE PARK - The C. Milton Wright girls swimming team's nearly two-year unbeaten streak came to an end Saturday, as the defending class Class 3A-2A-1A champs came up short at the state finals, finishing second to Poolesville. The Mustangs finished the meet at the University of Maryland's Eppley Swimming Center with 221 points. Poolesville earned 273.5 points, and third-place Oakdale scored 178. Fallston's boys took third place with 122 points. Poolesville (287) also won the boys meet, and Damascus took second with 132 points.

A woman's body was found Thursday in rising waters near a homeless camp in Laurel, as flooding closed roads throughout the region and a dangerously high reservoir prompted the evacuation of Laurel's historic district. The discovery of the body came as police in Laurel were going door to door to warn residents and business owners about likely flooding from a release of water at the T. Howard Duckett Dam by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. The commission also released water from Brighton Dam in Brookeville.

NEW ORLEANS - Ravens coach John Harbaugh rattled off plenty of positives about his running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery on Wednesday morning. Then Harbaugh stopped himself to add one more. "… At one time, he was the fastest human being in the world, did you know that? He was, a long time ago. " Montgomery acknowledges he was a pretty fast guy growing up in Greenville, Miss., in the early 1970s. During his high school days, Montgomery and his brother, Cleotha, clocked 9.3 seconds in the 100-yard dash on cinder rocks instead of the smooth, cushioned track surfaces of today.

Montgomery County on Monday filed a federal class action lawsuit against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, alleging the mortgage finance firms wrongly avoided paying transfer taxes in Maryland. In some instances, the companies have said they are exempt from the taxes (required to record documents, including deeds, at land records offices throughout the state) "because they are governmental entities or agencies," according to the county's complaint. But that's not true, claims the county.

A Montgomery County official has asked the Maryland Transportation Authority to halve the "outrageous" tolls on the Intercounty Connector to boost traffic on what he calls an "underused" highway. County Councilmember Phil Andrews, a long-time ICC opponent, said in a letter Monday to the MdTA that the 18-mile, all-electronic toll road between Gaithersburg and Interstate 95 has had little effect on relieving congestion on other roads since opening one year ago. An end-to-end ride during rush hour costs $4 for a car. "MdTA foolishly assumed 'price was no object' for the general public when it set its toll rates for the ICC," Andrews wrote.